Date on bottle: 2/18/14
A: Huge 3+ finger tall head was created when pouring from an inch above the snifter glass. The foam is made of mixed sized bubbles and soapy looking, off white with an tan tint. Head retention lasted for days.. The beer is a dark maroon color with moderate haze.

S: Very hop forward aroma with moderate spicey pine and fruity notes (I'm going to guess chinook). There is an underlying sweet malt nose that comes off like candy raisins or gummy candies.

T: A nice firm hop bitterness on the first sip that fades over time. Similar moderate piny, dank, spicey and melon hop flavors come through in the middle. The middle caramel malts shine through and balance nicely in the beer with slight toffee and raisin notes. The balance is on the hops but not overwhelmingly. Also getting a slight roast character with some fruity esters possibly from the ferment.

M: A moderately carbonated beer. The body is fairly big and is emphasized with all of the crystal malts I'm picking up. No astringancy or alcohol warming, but its not the most easy drinking beer.

O: A nice flavored american red with a good dose of malt character and piney hop character. I'd compare this to a few other ambers I've had from Half-Acre (ginger twin?) or even a bigger version of alpha king.

My first ever BA review (YAY!) It certainly took me long enough to get around to this, now I'm going to have to retry all of the 300+ different beers I have drank so I can take some notes on them!

Appearance- Pours very well with a beautiful reddish color and a well formed head atop the brew.

Smell- Doesn't smell like much til it warms up. Maltiness with a hint of apples. Not offensive but not great either.

Taste- Initial taste of bready malts and nuttiness. Very long finish for an amber, loads of earthy bitterness. I would rate it higher but there is a slight astringency going on here that keeps it behind the truly elite Ambers out there.

Mouthfeel- Very solid. Slightly creamy and highly carbonated to the point where I can feel the bubbles dancing on my tongue.

Overall pretty good, but certainly not worth the $7.99 I paid for a 16.9 oz bottle when I can get a sixer of Troegs Hopback for $10.

Pours a nice deep ruby, good carbonation giving a pretty big light tan head that billowed for awhile, smell of citrus than piney hops, sweet slightly caramel malts, with a bit of toast. Taste starts with a sweet note than rolls right into the citrus hop notes, than resin like hops melding with some spicy and toasted notes. Finishes with a decent bitter from the hops and a twinge of sweetness lingering. Mouthfeel feels thin but slightly sticky, let's the notes linger in your mouth awhile longer.

The bitter end lingers a bit too long for my taste, but it's a great hop forward amber that I liked more the longer I drank and thought about it.

o: This started out very easy to drink with some nice malty flavor laced with a decent amount of hops. However as it warmed an astringent aftertaste started to overpower everything, eventually becoming intolerable. Not sure what happened there, but drink it rocky mountain cold I guess. Will have to try some other Maine offerings but I think I'll pass on this in the future

Poured from a bottle and served in a tumbler pint, the beer is an extremely dark, opaque, ruby highlighted brown coloring with a frothy, dense, foamy head that is off-white and starts around a half an inch, slowly settling into a nice, dense film. Aromas are rich and hoppy, with a resiny, green, floral and citrus aromas on a sweet caramel backbone. Smells delicious. Flavors are hop forward, with peppery spiced and floral characteristics leading the way. The malt profile gets a bit overshadowed by the strong hops presence, lending more of a red IPA feel to the beer. The caramel sweet backbone can be felt more at the end of the palate, along with a dark roasting characteristic. The bitter and reisny hops lead through to the aftertaste, as well, and the beer leaves a slick, foamy cling behind as you drink. The finish is dry and bitter, with a resiny linger left behind. Good, solid beer with some very strong and unique characteristics. If you are a hop head, this is a very pleasant beer to drink.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with an initial bite, but a pretty long and surprisingly smooth finish.

Overall: Not as uniquely complex as I was expecting, but not as bitter either. Fantastic aromatics, perhaps that is why the taste was a little disappointing. Not completely blown away, but definitely not a bad brew either.

Pours a hazy deep amber with a huge fluffy off white head. Coats the glass very well and leaves tons of suds all over. Aroma is very hop forward; piney, grapefruit, earthy. Some smokey and roasty characters in the nose as well. Flavor combines the hoppy aroma with a caramel malt sweetness. Bitter, slightly astringent finish. Bubbly, almost prickly on the tongue. Well balanced hoppy amber ale. Bit pricey, but worth it.

This is one of those beers where I am confused and have to ask "is it just me?" I love the aroma with its sweet fruity hops like nectarines and watermelon but the flavor comes across as more winey sweet with touches of floral bitterness. This was a very fresh bottle so I'm inclined to think it's just my palate that simply did not accept the hop varieties.

A - Absolutely perfect looking beer. A rich, dark red color that illuminates beautifully when held up to a light. With slightly free pour it carried a 2 inch head that works its way down to about a 1/4 head eventually. Has a steady lacing to it as well. For an Amber Ale it presents itself exactly as I think it should... love this appearance.

S - Fresh grassy hop aroma. Very pleasant and similar to that of an IPA.

T - I get oranges and a citrus zest to compliment the hop profile. Definitely is a "hopped up" Amber Ale but it has a crisp finish and good balance throughout.

M - Refreshing and well balanced.

O - Solid beer. I recently had Nugget Nectar for the first time and think this is every bit as good... just doesn't carry the hype for some reason. I wish I had a Nugget left to try next to this. Very legit beer that I would suggest trying to anyone.

T: Unsweetened iced tea. Dry citrus. A little pine. Slightly resinous. Not sure if this is brewed with rye but there's a subtle spicyness to the beer as well.

M: As always with MBC, a delicate mouthfeel. Well carbonated and smooth.

D: Extremely drinkable, but overall quite subdued on the nose and palate. Another delicately brewed beer from MBC, but nothing worth going crazy over. For those who drink a lot of MBC I would describe this as Red Wheelbarrow's malty sister with less hop bite.

Appearance: A near black red liquid drains from the bottle revealing a creamy head. Held up to the light one can see the bubbles rising to the top. She's a looker. Sticky too with heavy lacing decorating the drinking vessel. Nearly all of the traits I look for in appearance show up for the party.

Smell: A soft aroma at first but as it warms up closer to 60 degrees the scent becomes stronger. Mango and pine hit the nose first followed by hop resin. Serve it a little warmer than what's recommended (45-50) and boost the experience.

Taste: Starts out a little lite then BAM the hops show up. Not much sweetness to balance it out. I'm picking up some metallic notes in the finish too which doesn't excite me.

A - pours a very dark brownish red with a nice soapy head and nice lacing. Active carbonation keeps the head going for several minutes.

S - smells like a very hoppy red ale, with heavy malt, caramel, grapefruit, and a very spicy note. Piney hop notes linger around the backend creating a very nice aroma.

T - taste is of piney hops and caramel. There is a high amount of spicyness in this beer but it works well. A note of rye from the malt really comes out in the finish as does a decent amount of booze which takes away from the score.

M - very good creamy mouthfeel, good amount of carbonation. Grassy hops provide a nice initial twang followed by a nice spicy finish on the backend.

O - this is a solid beer with a lot of things going right for it. To me the flavor needs a bit of tweaking but this has potential to be a top tier brew. I'll be looking forward to see new things from this company in the future.

Picked up a bottle in Beantown. I met the owners at the ACBF and thought they were pretty cool people. Larger format bottle with overly simplified label. Pretty cool packaging if you ask me...very straightforward! Brewed 4/28/11.

The beer has a large billowing tan head that has a very soft texture and a lot of staying power. Lacing sticks on the glass and from one look, we can see that Maine Beer Co. did not skimp on the hops. The color of the body is a dark amber with crimson highlights. Beautiful beer!

The smell is a little lighter than I had expected, but nonetheless, it is heavily hopped. I can pick out the more sweet, citrusy notes in the aroma. Smells like Centennial hops, with the strong tangerine/grapefruit smells. Light alcohol on the nose brings out some tropical fruits, i.e. coconut, mango. While I like the aroma, a standard amber ale probably shouldn't be showing off a high alcohol presence...

The alcohol does come through on the back end, with the exhale. Up front though, there isn't a strong bitterness, but a good balance is struck between the darker malts and the brighter hops. I feel like the malt complexity got let behind here however. Slightly weaker than I expected.

Mouthfeel is soft, with a prickly touch from the high carbonation. Good body, can tell this is more "imperial".

Overall, I really liked this beer. Attractive amber beer with a strong hop character, but not overly hoppy. Strikes a good balance! Completely recommend picking this up if you see it. Though it is listed on BA as an American Amber Ale, this is almost a strong ale. I guess Imperial Red Ale would work too!

I may have waited too lonf to try this, as I was expecting a little bit more. The appearance was beautiful, with a deep red color and soft white cap. The smell was good too, with an earthy mix of hops, malt, and citrus. But the body and taste were a little too light for me. Still, very good.

Bottled 11/24/11
Color is brownish red. Sticky lacing all around the glass.
Tons of hops in the nose but sweet malty notes shine through as well.
As the nose suggests it has a good balance of malt and hops. Piney hops mixed with sugary fruitiness. Alcohol is very well hidden. Nice bitter after taste.
Carbonation was a little lower than I like. Medium body.

Poured 16.9 oz bottle (102114 date) into a Samuel Smith's pint glass. Hazy deep Amber color with nice head, good retention and nice medium lacing all the way down. Aroma is a delicious understated piney hop. The flavor picks up some of the darker caramel malts and is almost a touch toasted copper. The alcohol is mostly well-hidden but breaks through at the back of the palate. Amber ales are not my thing but this is very nice. My first MBC beer. I will certainly seek out others.

On tap at the Wild Horse in Beverly, MA. Expensive 16.9 oz bottles can be found easily throughout MA. I don't usually buy Maine Beer Co bottles, though, because their high pricepoint makes them linger on shelves and I'm just not gonna spend 50 cents an ounce on stale beer.

Pours a hazy, rusty brown. Smells of very aggressive, nice pine hops with only a small hint of a malt background. The aroma does not convey the relatively high ABV.

Tastes good, but a little uneven. Pine up front, grapefruit in the middle, pine and a bit of yeast at the back end. One of the most aggressively hoppy reds I've ever come across, and while it was enjoyable the lack of balance holds it back.

The first of two Maine Beer Co. bottles generously sent to me by NJBeerNerd, thanks Mike! 16.9 oz beautifully simplistic bottle with a really awesome "environmental" story behind the brewery and the inspiration for this beer, Zoe. Cool stuff.

A: Cloudy dark ruby body with a creamy, slightly off-white head. This exhibits phenomenal retention and leaves wonderful lacing behind. An outstanding looking beer, especially for the style. Well done, this is off to a great start.

S: Subtle gooey caramel malt notes, pine and sap hop aromas fill in, finishing with some green tea leaves. A floral aspect really opens up as this warmed up a bit and wasn't quite as obvious as first. Perhaps something like a daisy flower, the notes are quite mellow but a nice added layer. Everything is there but overall it's not as aromatic as I expected.

T: Dry floral hop notes coat the palate up front washing it with a bitter taste. Sweet malt - kind of fruity - arrives to balance out the hop bite, even though it's not that much to begin with. Tangerine rind is in the finish and speaking of finish, it's pretty dry.

M: Prickly and bubbly carbonation but not too overpowering. Pretty average for the style, I would have liked a bit less to bring upon a solid medium-bodied feel as this seems to be teetering a bit.

I guess I wanted to compare this to Nugget Nectar before going into it. It's not as bitter or citrusy as NN, but in its own right, is a nice representation of the style. I worry if anything goes missing in this beer, though, there is nothing else to make up for it. One little missing flavor would throw this entire beer off. All in all, a very nice first offering for me from Maine Beer Co.

App- Dark amber, almost caramel mixed with cola brown. A huge creamy off white/tan head with a good 2-1/2 fingers stuck around for a long time. Nice and thick cling and lace.

Smell- A bit full on the nose of caramel malts. A little hoppy but seemingly one sided with only tinges of citrus.

Taste- Its a very nice beer, I would say its a poor mans NN. Has striking citrus with a more tropical note and moves into a creamy malt flavor with some bitter. Not going to steal the show, very solid and drinkable.

Mouth- A little bit thick for me. Needed to come down a bit to let flavors mingle a little bit better. The medium body was good, but a bit thick and chewy on the carbonation.

Drink- Overall, a good beer. My 2nd from Maine and they are doing a nice job up there. Flavorful and pretty balanced. Would have this one again.

Bottle sent by Drazzamatazz (cheers!). Dated September 2011, little bit of age but nothing that would keep me from opening it.

A: Fluffy beige foams that leave huge branches of gossamer lacing that cover the walls of the glass. Deep mahogany and dark cherry body that has only the slightest give in opacity. As the beer warms it appears less foggy and certainly more light on the cherry. Looks like a delicious little pie tart.

T: Taste is a really nice balance of bitter woody flavors, and hoppy pine. Some cereal grain malt flavors that make me think of lightly cinnamon porridge. The hops aren't as alive as I imagine they are fresh, but there's a nice balanced malt backbone that makes this more than just a one two punch in the flavor. Little bit of woody cinnamon spice that bridges the hoppy and caramel malt flavors in style.

M: medium body with a fine knit gossamer glove on the tongue. A tad bit of wetness creeps in between the gap left from slightly fading hops. The bitterness doesn't linger as much which makes this offering feel a bit lighter than is probably intended. I assume a fresher bottle would mitigate this issue. By no means light in the mouth, but it's medium with a noticeable gap.

O: This is really quite good, with an earthy tone to all the flavors. I'd definitely like the flavor transitions to be a bit more clear, but I imagine having a fresher bottle will give a much more dynamic experience. I really enjoyed drinking this, but some gaps in the mouth feel definitely made me wish I had a super fresh bottle to determine where the error was stemmed from. Another very solid beer from Maine beer co.

From notes. A dense finger of tan foam rests atop deep amber fluid and fades gradually, and leaving patchy lacing. It's not visibly active, and the color when backlit is reddish copper.

Immediately after the pour the nose is predominantly hoppy, but not so much after a few minutes. Mild caramel and moderate alcohol are the main drivers of the aroma, though some floral and fruity hops hang around, though not as pungent as right after the pour.

The hop presence is floral, fruity, and a little bit piny. The hoppy lead is joined and pretty much balanced by a barely discernible caramel malty base that is ever so vaguely sweet. The bitterness is gentle throughout, but persistent and piny after the finish.

Slightly low carbonation, with a rich medium body that dries out succinctly as it leads into the lingering bitter finish.

This is a good beer. Good balance, good hopping, good body. But the overall dry character of it, from the middle through the finish, is a distraction to me. This dryness is also probably why some love it. A little more malty and a little less dry and I would score it higher.